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(No Model.) I Q r M. H. WILSON & W. D, THOMAS;

I METAL MAT. Elm-378,912.. Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

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MICHAEL HOFFMAN WILSON, OFNUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, AND \VILLIAM DAVIES THOMAS, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK.

M ETAL MAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,912. dated March 6, 1888.

Application filed January 5, 1887. Serial No. 223,439.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MICHAEL HOFFMAN WILsoN, of Nutley, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, and WILLIAM DAVIES THOMAS, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metal Mats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates, especially, to metal mats to be used at doors for removing the dirt from the soles of boots and shoes in wear, but is also adapted for floor-mats for other uses, and for mats to be applied to the treads of stairs.

Our invention relates to metallic mats which are composed of two series of strips made wide in proportion to their thickness, and those of each series being formed with notches-by which the two series are engaged at their points of intersection. In constructing a mat of this character we unite the strips at their points of notched engagement by solder, as may be secured by galvanizing the completed mat. \Ve also form holes in the strips between their notches, whereby they are rendered lighter. The outside strips of the two series, which constitute the margins of the mat, are of less width than the remaining strips, and the strips of each series are tapered in width at the ends, so as to form a matwhich is of reduced thick ness at the edges. \Vealso employ notched bracing-strips, which engage with the two series at their intersections and extend obliquely to the strips of the two series, and we likewise employ bracing-studs which have intersecting notches engaging the two series of strips close to their intersections, and which are preferably applied at opposite sides of the mat. We provide the mat with elastic or spring supports, whereby it is enabled to yield slightly to fit and is more pleasant in use, and these spring supports may be pivotally inserted through one series of strips.

The invention consists in novel features of construction, herinabove briefly referred to, and hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan of a mat constructed according to our invention. Fig.2 represents a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 2*

(No model.)

represents a section at right angles to Fig. 2. Fig. 3 represents a side view of the same. Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal section illustrating a slightly-modified construction. Fig. 5 represents one end of one of the strips of metal of which the mat is composed. Fig. 6 is an elevation of one of the bracing-studs employed in the mat at the insersection of the metal strips, and Fig. 7 is an inverted plan corresponding to Fig. 6.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A A A* A* designate, respectively, the two series of metallic strips of which the mat is principally composed. These strips may be composed of stout hoop-iron or thin fiat bar-iron of suitable width, set up edgewise and arranged to intersect each other at any angle, so that the spaces bformed between them may be of any desirable form. In the example here shown the two series of strips are repre sented as arranged at right angles to each other, those of each series being parallel with each other, and the spaces or interstices being of square form. All the strips of the two series, except the outermost ones, A* A*, have cut or otherwise formed in them at the places where the intersections are to be formed notches c, the notches in one series being the reverse of the corresponding notches in the other series, so that every notch in each receives a corresponding part of a strip of the other series, and the strips engage with each other in such manner that their upper and lower edges are all presented in corresponding planes.

In the example shown in Fig. 2 the notches c in the strips A are all in the lower halves of the strips, and the notches c in the strips A are all in the upper halves of the strips.

In the example: represented in Fig. 4 the notches in each strip are alternately in the upper and lower halves of the strip.

In order to provide for the securing of the ends of the several strips A A, the outermost strips, A* and A*, of each series have out in them opposite the ends of the several strips of the other series slots d, for the reception of claws e 6, formed on the ends of the said strips A A, and the said claws are turned outward or clinched outside said strips A* and A,

This fastening of the ends of the several strips may be sufficient to keep the strips of the two series in proper relation to each other and keep the mat in proper shape; but to insure greater stability we propose generally to our ploy notched braces engaging with the said strips A A at their intersections.

In Figs. 1 and 2 we have represented two kinds of notched braces. One kind consists of diagonal strips 0, of similar character to the strips A and A, having notches similar to c 0, each of said notches being adapted to receive two of the strips A A at their intersection, so that the said braces C may have their edges flush with the edges of the strips A A. The said strips are also notched in the same manner where they intersect each other, as shown, at the center of the mat. The other kind of notched brace consists simply of studs D, such as are shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the said studs having intersecting notches f, adapted to receive two strips A A at their points of intersection, as shown in Fig. 1. These studs may all be applied to the strips from one face of the mat, as shown in Fig. 2, or they may be applied in reverse directions, as shown in Fig. 4=that is to say, some being applied from the upper and some from the lower face. These notched bracing-studs D are especially advantageous at the corners of the mat, Where the clinching of the strips together, as shown at d 6, would be diificult; but they may also be applied at any of the inter sections of the structure. We have represented the marginal strips A* A* (see Figs. 2 and 4) as narrower than those A A, in order to make the edges of the mat somewhat thinner than the other parts, and therefore less liable to catch the feet of passers-by. The mat may be further braced and kept in shape by blocks E, of wood or other material, inserted tightly into any of the interstices, asshown at the corners in Fig. 1. The mat may be further strengthened by having the strips soldered together at their intersections. This may be effected by submitting the mat, after its parts are put together, to the common'process known as galvanizing? This mat afiords great facility for removing the dirt from the soles of boots and shoes in wear, as it acts like a scraper, and it presents the advantage of not accumulating dirt, as the dirt which is scraped from the boots or shoes will fall through the interstices onto the floor below, whence it may be swept away when the mat is removed. The small quantity of dirt, if there be any, remaining adherent to the mat may be easily removed by knocking the mat on the floor, and the mat might be washed, if desired.

It may be observed that a mat of this kind is reversible, both sides being alike.

To lighten the mat, the strips of which it is composed might be perforated at intervals, or have the metal removed between the notches, as shown at g g in Fig. 2.

In order to make the mat easy to the tread, we have represented it as furnishedwith springsupports, which supports are made reversible by being pivoted into holes in the series of strips A. These supports consist of pivotal port-ions h and short legs 1', connected by coils j, which constitute springs. The said supports may be entirely formed of bent wire, the pivotal portion, the spring, and the leg of each being in one piece; and to keep them in place they are arranged in pairs, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2*, the pivotal portions of each pair be- 'ing in line with each other and being locked together at their inner ends by twisting or bending, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2*. The legs are of a length a little greater than half the width of the strips A, so that they may keep the mat slightly raised from the floor. The pivots permit the legs to be turned, so that they may rest upon the ground whichever side of the mat is uppermost, and the legs are bifurcated or made with broad feet, as shown in Fig. 3, to give a firm bearing on the ground.

In our pending application,- Serial No. 226,202, we make claim to a grating composed of metal strips thin in proportion to their width and set up edgewise, the strips engaging with one another by notches at their intersections and soldered together at their intersecting engagements. \Ve therefore make -no claim herein to such a structure. The holes 9, which are formed in the strips distant from both edges, serve other important functions besides lightening the mat without reducing its strength. I11 wet weather, if the mat is much used, its cells or the spaces between the strips are liable to become filled with mud or snow, and the holes 9 form apertures through which the mud or snow may exude into an adjacent cell, and which prevent the mud or snow in that cell from being trodden down and caked hard within that cell by permitting it to exude into an adjacent one. So, also, if the mat be upon a muddy bed, or if the mud accumulates in the bottom of the cells, it will prevent the escape of water from the cells, and certain of them may be filled entirely and result in a spattering of the water and mud when the mat is trod upon or used. The holes 9 therefore form the avenues through which the cells communicate with each other, and which prevent an excess of deposit in any one of the cells. It is desirable to taper the strips forming the mat in depth at the end, because the mat has thinner edges, over which people are less liable to trip, and because the mat will not impair the surface on which it is placed, as strips having square corners flush with the under surface of the mat might do. We only seek to cover the braces 0 when they are notched to interlock the two series of strips at their points of notched interlocking, because then the number of notches in the bracing-strips are only one-half what would be required if the braces 0 connected two series of strips separately, and at the same time the engaging-strips are better braced. When the notched bracing-studs are applied to the opposite sides of the mat, both edges of the strips A A are supported at the bottom of the notches, and hence the surfaces of the mat are better maintained.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A mat composed of two series of strips wide in proportion to their thickness, formed with notches by which they are engaged at the points of their intersection, and having holes formed in them between their notches and distant from their upper and lower edges, whereby the mat is made lighter without decreasing its strength or scrapingsurface, and whereby the cells of the mat are vented one into another and prevented from filling with mud and water, substantially as herein described.

2. A mat composed of two series of strips wide in proportion to their thickness and formed with notches by which they are engaged attheir points of intersection, the outside strips of the two series, which constitute the margins of the mat,being of less width than the others of the series, and the strips of each series being tapered in width at the ends, so as to form a mat whichis of reduced thickness at the edges, substantially as herein described.

3. The combination of the two intersecting series of metallic strips engaging with one another by notches at their intersections, and

having notched bracing-strips O,engaging with the two series at their notched intersections and extending obliquely to the strips of the series, the bracing-strips and the strips of the twoseries being all interlocked by notches at the same points, whereby the strips of the two series are held most effectively in proper relative position, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination, in a mat, of the two intersecting series of strips engaging with each other by notches at their intersections and two sets of notched bracing-studs applied to the strips at their points of notched engagment and at opposite sides or faces of the mat, whereby the edges of the strips on both faces of the mat are maintained coincident by bearing on the bottom of the notches in the studs, substantially as herein described.

5. A mat composed of strips of metal, wide in proportion to their thickness and intersecting each other and having elastic or spring supports, substantially as herein described.

6. The combination, with the two series of strips engaging with one another by notches at their intersections,of reversible spring-supports pivotally inserted through the strips of one series, substantially as herein described.

MICHAEL HOFFMAN WILSON.

WILLIAM DAVIES THOMAS. Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES,

HENRY J. MCBRIDE. 

